Scioto Country Club to host 2016 US Senior Open

Jack Nicklaus will serve as Honorary Chair

May 18, 2012

The United States Golf Association announced that Scioto Country Club, the club where Jack Nicklaus learned and nurtured his game as a young boy growing up in Columbus, Ohio, will host the 2016 U.S. Senior Open Championship. This will be the fourth USGA championship held at Scioto Country Club, which will celebrate its centennial in 2016 as the first 18-hole course in central Ohio. The dates of the championship in 2016 are Aug. 11-14.

Scioto Country Club is one of four courses in the United States to have hosted five different major championships, including the 1926 U.S. Open, one of nine USGA championships captured by Robert T. Jones Jr.; the 1931 Ryder Cup Matches; 1950 PGA Championship; 1968 U.S. Amateur; and the 1986 U.S. Senior Open. In addition, Scioto C.C. is where Jack Nicklaus, an eight-time USGA champion, including two U.S. Senior Opens, honed his game with legendary teaching professional Jack Grout.

“Scioto Country Club has always been a very special place to me,” said Nicklaus, who won a record 18 major professional championships, including a record-tying four U.S. Opens. “It is where my father first introduced me to the game of golf at age 10; where I met my first instructor, long-time friend and mentor Jack Grout; and where my career really was nurtured.”

“Scioto is steeped in championship golf history and it is something that I was indoctrinated with from my childhood. I grew up with Bob Jones as my idol, largely in part due to the wonderful stories and memories attached to his U.S. Open victory at Scioto in 1926. It is personally gratifying to see another major championship being added to Scioto’s storied legacy, and as a past U.S. Senior Open champion, I’m thrilled the USGA is bringing such a significant championship to the passionate fans of Columbus and central Ohio.”

Scioto Country Club was designed by renowned Scottish-born architect Donald Ross and opened for play in 1916. The course was renovated by Dick Wilson in the early 1960s and recently redesigned under the guidance of architect Michael Hurdzan and Nicklaus, who is serving as honorary chairman for the 2016 U.S. Senior Open. Scioto C.C. reopened in 2008 while preserving the original Ross routing and design, and was awarded Renovation of the Year by Golf Inc. magazine. In addition to the golf course, Scioto Country Club has acclaimed facilities and programs for aquatics, tennis and platform tennis.

The U.S. Senior Open Championship was first played in 1980. The championship is open to any professional and amateur golfer who is 50 years of age with a USGA Handicap Index® not exceeding 3.4. For more information about the 2016 U.S. Senior Open Championship, visit www.2016ussenioropen.com.